Portable clamp



March 27, 1934.

G. C. MUELLER PORTABLE CLAMP.

Filed Feb; 13; 1952 v 30 a portable clamp Patented Mar. 27, 1934 res PATENT: orrlca 1,952,453 PORTABLE cum George C. Mueller, Chicago, 11!.

Application February 13, 1932, Serial No.

The invention relates for temporarily securing parts In fabricating structural steel, it is desirable to clamp plates or barstogether preparatory to welding them together or for other purposes, and it is desirable to the clamping of the plates or bars particularly where large numbers of duplicate parts are to be fabricated. The primary object of the invention vide a clamp which. can be number of similar structures.

5 been customary to use quired considerable time in applying and in their removal from, the work.

In general having a coacting 3 may be quickly swung into and out of position to As a result, when the adjustclamping work the lever, may be quicklyor release work of the same thickness without the necessity of clamp the work. able screw or law is once set for of a given thickness,

and repeatedly operated to clamp operating a screw.

Another object at a low and reasonable cost.

Other objects of the invention advantages and sideration of the features hereinafter clamp embodyingthe invention, frame beingbroken away poses. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 invention, a portion of away. Fig. 4 is a. section on line to be clamped, such, for example, as plates 'a; a handle 9 rigid with the 55 a screw 10 to portable clamps used together.

quickly operated by a self-locking lever to clamp the work, particularly where the workconsists in fabricating a large Heretofore, it has screw-clamps which rethe improved clamp comprises a fixedly carries an adjustable jaw one face of the work and a of the invention is to provide which is generally of new and improved construction and may be manufactured and the various I characteristics of the clamp construction will be apparent from a confollowing detailed description. The invention consists'in the several novel set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion 40 hereof. 1 In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a a portion of the for illustrative purwhich is threaded to a socket in the Claims- (01. 113-99) ping elements or jaws of frequentexpedite.

to the fixed handle 9,

which constitutes the is to proelement or jaw.

roller is adapted to be swimg them to, the frame 3 swung to close the clamp.

aw which fulcrum 12 and by the roller, so look or retain itself in position work between screw 10 and roller 13.

the face of the around the wor its open position, dotted lines in Fig. 1, tioned. adjacent one roller 13 adjacent its opposite face.

lever is swung to its closed position,

tween the screw be arrested by in closed position by reason of present between the'work and the screw 10,'the clamp of Fig. 1. provided with a by it may be turned curing it in its assigned position.

In .Figs. 3 and 4, the invention in a clamp which is beams or bars and gle-beams b, b

the work a pair of frame 8;

beam or bar frame-member 8' and constitutes one of the gripthe clamp; a lever '11, which is mounted between the sides of the framemember 3 and is fulcrumed therein by a pin 12 which extends through said sides, and comprises a long handle 11" approximately parallel and a short angular extension or arm 11 which carries a roller 13 second work-gripping The roller 13 is mounted in the bifurcated end of extension 11 on a pin 14 which extends transversely through said end; This into position op- 10 tocoact with screw 10 in clamping the work. A stop 8 is' provided in to normally limit the movement of the lever 11 to arrest and position the roller 13 ata predetermined point when the lever is At this point the roller will be positioned substantially in or "slightly across its dead-center position between the work engaged that the lever will automatically to clamp the In operating the clamp, the frame3 is placed such as the plates :1, while the as indicated in 10 will be posiface of the work and. the

when the the roller 13 will engage the work and firmly clamp it be- 10 and the roller. The lever will stop 8 and-automatically retained the roller carrying arm having crossed its dead-center position its fulcrum. By adjusting may be adapted for work of. different thicknesses and after the screw has once been set for work of a given thickness, it can be repeatedly used without requiring change in the adjustment of the screw. The latter is head 10 at its lower end whereand a lock-nut 10 for sei is exemplified adapted for clamping flanged plates together, such as anand plate to so they can be welded 106 together. 'In this form of the invention, the frame 15 1s provided-with a rigid bifurcated yoke-shaped which is adapted to pass and a back oneof the grip no.

ping jaws, is carried bya standard 18, which is pivotally connected to the member 15 of the frame'15, so that it can be swung into operative frame has been placed around the flanged beams which are to be clamped together. A handle 15 is rigid with the frame 15. A gripping roller 19 is carried by a pin 20 in one end of a lever 21 which is fulcrumed on a pin 22 held in the bifurcated member of the frame. The lever is looped, as at-21", in said portion of the frame so it will pass around and clear the adjacent fiange of the work, and is extended to form a handle 21 by which the roller can be operated into and out will pass slightly across its dead center between the work and fulcrum-pin 22 so the lever will be automatically held in its locked position. In fabricating this class of work, it is necessary in most instances to place the clamp in position dver the flanges of the beams, and to enable this to be done, the standard 18 is connected to the frame-member 15 by a pin 24 standard which are adapted to abut against the upper edge of the bifurcated end of frame-member 15 while the standardand. its screw 17 are in operative position. The slots 25 and pivot pin 24 permit the standard 18 to be lifted and swung downwardly so the frame of the clamp can be passed around the flanges of the work, and so the screw 1'7 and standard 18 can be swung into operative position and into coacting relation with the roller 19 after the frame has been placed around the work. The screw 17 is threaded to the standard 18 so it can be adjusted in the standard 18 to adapt the clamp for work of diiTerent. thicknesses. A look nut 1'7 secures the screw in its'adjusted position.

In operating this form of clamp, the frame 15 can be placed around the work while the standard 18 and screw 1'7-are lowered into position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. While the handle 21 is raised, the standard 18 can be swung upwardly into position so its shoulders 18 will seat on the frame-member 15. The handle 21 of lever 21 will then be swung until it is arrested by stop 23 at which time the arm of the lever which carries roller 19 will have crossed the dead-center, and roller 19 will clamp the parts of the work together against lever will be self-retained in position to clamp the work. After the work hasbeen fabricated, the lever 21 is swung to shift roller 19 to release the work. This will permit the frame of the clamp to drop suficiently so there will be enough clearance between the screw 17 and the work to permit the standard 18 to be lifted so its shoulders 1,8 will clear the frame-member 15. The standard will then be swung into its lowered position to permit the clamp to be removed from the work.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified withinthe scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- .ent, is:

bers adapted to extend screw 17, and the and the work so the projecting rearwardly therefrom, an element adjustably mounted on one frame-member constituting a gripping jaw for engaging one face of the work, a one-piece lever carrying a roller at one of its ends which constitutes a gripping jaw for the other face of the work and having the other end thereof shaped to form, a hand extending in the same directionas the frame handle, a fulcrum for the lever carried by the other member of the frame and located between the roller and the lever handle so that the roller is caused to be brought into an operative or gripping position opposite the element when the lever handle is swung towards the frame handle, and stop-means for the lever whereby the portion of the lever between thefulcrum and the roller will be clamped between the fulcrum and the work so the jaws will be automatically secured in position to clamp the work.

2. In a portable clamp, the combination of a frame having a pair of forwardly extending memaround the work to be clamped, a handle rigid with the frame and extending rearwardly therefrom, a standard having one end thereof connected pivotally to the outer end of one of the frame-members so that after placement of the members around the work it may be swung from an imperative position in front of said one frame-member to an opbe automatically secured in position to clamp the work.

3. In a portable clamp, the combination of a frame having a pair of forwardly extending members adapted to extend clamped, a handle rigid with the frame and extending rearwardly therefrom, a standard having one end thereof connected pivotally to the outer end of one of the frame-members so that after placement of the members around the work it may be swung inwardly from an inoperative position in front of said one frame-member to an operative pwition wherein it extends towards and at right angles to the work, an element connected adjustably to the distal end of the standard and handle, a fulcrum for the lever between the gripping jaw' carried thereby and the handle, and carried by the other member of the frame, and stop means for the lever whereby the portion of the jaws will be automatically secured in position to clamp the work.

. may be swung upwardly under derlie the work, a standard connected to the outer end of the straight member by a pin and slot 1 connection so that after proper placement of the two frame-members with respect to the work it the work and then dropped downwardly a comparatively small distance, coacting shoulders between said one end of the standard and the outer end of the straight frame-member for holding thestandard against swinging movement relatively to the frame after it has been dropped down following inward swinging movement thereof, an element connected adjustably to the distal end of the standard and constituting a s npina law for the under face of the work, a lever carryins an element at one of its ends which constitutes 'a Gripp jaw for the top face of the work and comprising a handle, a fulcrum for the lever between the grippina law carried thereby and the handle, and carried by the looped member of the frame, and stop means for the lever, whereby the portion of the lever between the fulcrum and the gripping jaw on the lever will be clamped between the fulcrum and the work so the jaws will be automatically secured in position to clamp the work.

GEORGE C. MUELLER. 

